Adobe Creative Cloud Conks Out Around the World

By Jeff Gamet

May 15th, 2014 2:31 PM EDT

Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription service took a nose dive on Wednesday, and isn't getting any better yet. Users around the world haven't been able to access the service, and while Adobe is working on the problem, there isn't any word yet on when the problem will be resolved.

Adobe Creative Cloud service failure impacting users around the world

Creative Cloud is the subscription service Adobe introduced to replace the traditional perpetual license system it previously used to sell Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and its other design apps. With the Creative Cloud model, users download the apps they need -- except for now because the service is offline.

Most subscribers have been able to continue using the apps they already downloaded, but until CC is back up and running, they can't download other apps through the service for now. The apps need to occasionally phone home to confirm their license is current, and right now that can't happen, either. Subscribers who are finding themselves locked out of the apps have to disconnect their computer from the Internet and switch to app demo mode to continue working while Adobe sorts out what's happening.

Adobe's System Status page for Creative Cloud currently shows problems with app downloads, files on the Web, purchases and upgrades, as well as syncing files, fonts and settings. Users can't log into their Creative Cloud accounts or manage their subscriptions, either.

Creative Cloud has been a point of contention for many Adobe customers who feel they're getting the raw end of the deal by having to pay each month to use their apps, and this outage will no doubt get used as an example of what a mistake the company made. For many CC users, however, their apps are still working and it's business as usual despite the outage.

Adobe claims to have identified the problem, although at this time isn't offering any timeframe for repairs. "We have identified the cause and are working to restore the service as quickly as possible," the company support site said.